Pure Heart
by Triple K3
Summary: Sequel to Kimi ni Todoke A Second Christmas  Obviously SawakoxShota. I may make OC's, not sure yet  P plz leave reviews. for full descrip, plz refer to A.N. on Chapter 1 plz
1. Chapter 1 Searching for My Love

Kimi ni Todoke Fanfiction

Forever With You

Chapter 1

Searching For My Love

It was a few days before the end of the year, and everyone was back in school from Christmas Break. A girl in second year of high school with long black flowing hair walked to school briskly, wearing a long coat. Her name was Kuronuma Sawako, although lots of people call her "Sadako" like from the Ring. She was excited about her birthday being soon, as her birthday was on the last day of the year, December 31st. She had made up an idea last night and wanted to tell her close friends, so she quickly rushed to the school and went to class.

Sawako went to her class, and as she opened the doors, she was able to see her friends, Yoshida Chizuru, Yano Ayane, and Sanada Ryuu. Chizuru always seemed to give a look of a delinquent, but in reality, she was a tomboy who easily cried, just like Sawako. Ayane was a really beautiful girl who was always interested in romances and such. Ryuu was Chizuru's childhood friend, and always looked, no, he WAS sleeping. Sawako thought of them all as her close friends. There was also one other boy but he wasn't here at the moment. She was about to talk to her friends about her idea, before she was stopped by the bell. Even though she had walked quickly to class, she had still left her home a bit later then usual, so she did not get to talk to them. She sighed as she went to her desk and sat down.

At lunch, Sawako wanted to talk to them, but had already volunteered herself to help the teacher. When she finally finished all of her work, she couldn't find Chizuru and Ayane. She heard that the two girls had gone out to help out with something as well. _'I guess I'll talk to them after school.'_ Sawako thought to herself.

Finally, after all of the lessons, Sawako was able to talk to Chizuru, Ayane and Ryuu.

"Oh, Sawako! What's up?" Chizuru said happily. Ayane smiled to Sawako, while Ryuu just sat there, looking like he was going to sleep any minute.

"Oh yeah, your birthday is coming up. What do you want as a present!" Ayane asked. Sawako took a breath and tried to speak, but she was shaking as she spoke.

"Umm, is it okay… if umm…you guys visit m-my house o-on m-m-my b-birthday?" Sawako asked. She was blushing like crazy, from how she had used a lot of courage to ask them. Chizuru, Ayane and Ryuu stared at Sawako. _'Oh no! Did I sound too rude! Too forceful!'_ Sawako thought. Sawako would always over-think on things that she didn't need to get so stressed out about. Ayane began to crack up, and started laughing.

"Sawako! W-what the! Ahahahahaha!" Ayane was laughing like crazy, but before she knew it, Chizuru started crying besides her. Ayane stared at Chizuru and asked why Chizuru was crying.

"B-Because! Sawako! She must have taken a lot of courage to ask us that! Waahh!" Chizuru kept crying while Ayane just gave Chizuru a look that said "what-are-you-stupid?" Ayane smiled to Sawako and Sawako stared at them confused.

"Sawako. You don't have to be so nervous. Of course we would go. We're your friends after all!" Sawako's eyes brightened from Ayane's words and smiled back.

"Thank you, Ayane-chan!" Chizuru and Ayane smiled at Sawako's happiness, while Ryuu had already fallen asleep.

"Umm, Sanada-kun?" Sawako wasn't sure if he would go or not. Chizuru noticed and grinned.

"Don't worry. I'll drag Ryuu there whether he likes it or not!" Sawako tried to stop Chizuru, telling her she shouldn't force Ryuu, but she didn't listen. Ryuu just stared blankly, thinking in his mind _'I don't mind…but at least let me state my opinion'_ before going back to sleep.

"Oh yeah…have you asked _him_ yet?" Ayane said with a cheeky grin. Sawako gave a smile, but it had disappointment in it. She shook her head.

"I was planning on looking for him right now." She had not seen him except in class, and hadn't had the chance to talk to him.

"Do you want us to help?" Chizuru asked. Sawako kindly denied their offer, and began to take her leave.

Meanwhile, there was a situation going on in the P.E. office. Usually you would expect the teacher be yelling at the student. This wasn't the case. Sure, the tall teacher who had Goku-like hair was yelling, but it had nothing to do with education. At the same time, a popular student with black rustled hair and good looks was forced to suffer this stupid teacher's rant.

"It's been so long since those little men visited me!"

"Pin…trust me…I really don't care about the little men." This student was none other than Kazehaya Shota. He was really starting to get pissed off at his teacher, Pin.

"And then…" Pin really didn't care about Shota's opinion at this point. "THEY STARTED JUMPING OUT OF MY SAKE CUP JUST LAST NIGHT! THEY'RE BACK!" Pin began shaking Shota like crazy. Poor Shota was beginning to get dizzy, until he forced himself out of Pin's grip. He took a breath and sighed.

"Come on Pin. I really need to g-"

"Maybe I should ask _her_ for some advice! She is an exorcist after all!" Pin said cheerfully, cutting into what Shota was going to say. Shota knew who Pin was talking about, and was now seriously pissed. He gave a glare to Pin, and stood up.

"That's it! I'm leaving!" Shota didn't even listen to Pin's words, and left the room, sliding the door as hard as he can. When he was from a fair distance of the P.E. office, he stopped. He looked around, hoping to find _her_. He quickly saw a glimpse of her, and was about to call out to her. However…

"HEY KAZEHAYA!" The annoying friend of Shota's named Joe suddenly popped up right in front of Shota.

"WAAH!" Shota was so surprised he almost fell back as he took a few steps back. Joe was grinning his butt off, and Shota feigned a smile.

"Hey hey! Let's go karaoke today!" Joe said happily. Shota laughed, trying to act happy. "Didn't we just go a few days ago?"

"Oh come on! After you got together with _her_, we barely hang out anymore!" Joe said. Shota looked over Joe's shoulder, and couldn't see her anymore. At least he knew she was on the second floor. _'Hmm…I don't want to be mean, but I REALLY got to meet up with her!'_ Shota thought to himself.

"Hey Joe. I'll go on a condition."

"What condition?"

"Go to Kasanaidekara and get me umm…a bag of 'Oh Great Kami-Sama Chips'." _'Do those even exist?'_ Shota thought to himself. Amazingly enough, Joe gave a big smile, and promised to get it. Joe ran off, and Shota sighed in relief. _'Anyways. Since Sawako went down the stairs, she should be at the second floor by now! I better hurry!'_

As he turns the corner, and is about to go down the stairs, he sees the glimpse of chestnut hair on a petite figure. He quickly turns back, and runs the other way across the school. The girl he had saw before was none other than Kurumizawa Ume. He never hated her, heck, they knew each other since middle school. _'It's just its kind of awkward to talk to her now like this, after her confession and all.'_ Shota thought to himself. He finally was reaching the other flight of stairs, and was so happy he was about to find Sawako.

"Hey Refreshing-kun~" Shota felt a pat on his shoulder and stopped in his tracks. He could feel a vein bulge out of his forehead, as he knew he would have to wait a bit longer to find Sawako. He turned around in displeasure to see none other than the blond haired Miura Kento, who had a giant grin plastered on his face.

"Not now, Miura. I really need to go!"

"Oh? How come? Running away from your _girlfriend_ to cheat on her!"

"AS IF!" _'To be exact, I'm trying to do the opposite of what you're saying!'_ Shota thought to himself with an annoyed look on his face.

"Hey, hey, what's with that face, Refreshing-kun~?"

"It's Kazehaya, not 'Refreshing-kun'!" Shota was seriously getting pissed off. Kento already noticed this and smirked.

"Yes yes, Refreshing-kun. I won't hold you up any longer! You can go cheat on your girlfriend~" Kento released his grip on Shota's shoulder, who still was annoyed.

"I'm not cheating on her! And it's KA-ZE-HA-YA!"

"Oh? Then why are you so frantic!"

"I'm looking for her! Geez!"

And with that, Shota quickly ran down the stairs, pissed at Kento, wanting to get as far away as possible. Kento who stood at the top of the stairs just grinned in delight at Shota's displeasure and walked away.

The sun was already beginning to set, and Shota looked through the classrooms, hoping to find her. As he did, he stopped at a window which was a fond memory to him.

'_Kazehaya-kun is 100% refreshing, no, it's like he's made out of brightness!'_

'_Hey…how should I take that?' Kazehaya stood there, leaning against the window, wondering about her sentence just now._

'_As…a compliment!' _

At that moment, for Shota, he felt things just 'clicked'. He remembers how from that moment on, he became closer to her than he expected. All of those happy and sad memories, they were all important to him. Shota smiles to himself, before he remembered what he was doing. He quickly began running again across the school, looking for _her_.

Sawako stood at her shoe locker, taking her shoes out. She asked Ayane and Chizuru to leave without her first. As she slipped her shoes on, she looked outside to notice that the sun was turning into a beautiful orange glow, and she knew the day was ending soon. She closed her shoe locker door and sighed to herself. She took her cell phone out and opened it. She stared at it for a while. _'Maybe I should send a text message.'_ Sawako thought to herself. _'But…what if I'm a bother! Oh no! What if he's busy or something! Uwah!'_ Sawako began to panic and was shaking from worry.

"Sawako!'

Sawako was so surprised! Her heart jumped, and she almost dropped her phone. She quickly gained her composure, and turned to see Shota who stood in front of her, panting for air.

"Ah, Shota!" Sawako quickly ran towards Shota and smiled to him. She could finally talk to him about her idea.

"Umm!" They both wanted to speak at the same time, and both quickly stopped.

"Umm, you can speak first!" Sawako said, motioning Shota to. He smiles and thanks her.

"I know that your birthday is coming up, so I was wondering if I can spend it with you!" Shota had a slight blush in his face, but he still grinned towards Sawako. Sawako's eyes widened in happiness and she agreed happily.

"Of course! Now I can spend my birthday with all of you!"

"Yup, all of us-"Shota stopped himself. "All of us?"

"Yup! You, Chizu-chan, Ayane-chan, Sanada-kun, and me! I was going to ask you the same thing before! I'm so happy!" Sawako smiled to Shota, who blinked in surprise.

He quickly blushed in realization. _'I guess I can't spend it alone with her. Although…'_ He stares back at Sawako's smile and smiles with her. _'I guess its okay as long as she's happy.'_ They walk back together like this, with them both smiling throughout the whole way.

Later that night, at Ryuu's house, Shota was in Ryuu's room.

"Umm Shota, are you mad at me or something?" Ryuu was really worried, because he could feel a hateful glare from Shota.

"It's nothing…" But Shota still continued to glare.

"No…I really don't think so…" Ryuu sweat dropped in confusion. Shota sighed to himself. _'In the end, I really do want it to be only me and Sawako on her birthday…'_

A.N.- WOOT! FINALLY! THIS CHAPTER IS DONE! Okay guys, most of you know me from my first fanfic series, Kimi ni Todoke- A Second Christmas. I thank all of you who had given reviews and such! It made me really happy to read each one of your reviews! Arigatou gozaimasu~ m(_ _)m Well then, I guess I should explain this new fanfic of mine. This one isn't as story driven, and may have many arcs in it. This is just some short ideas I get of the couple together. So basically, they're like one shots XD I also have some arcs planned out, so don't worry XP I may use some really obvious shojo manga cliches, so yeah, hate me if you must T^T But I'll try to make it interesting! =O! Now then, about the title of this fanfic, I decided to go with "Forever With You" because basically, well, we all want Shota and Sawako to be together forever, right? =D? I know, weird reason, but just deal with it =P I decided this time to also involve Kento and Kurumi more. At first, I really wanted to use Kurumi in my first fanfic, but I didn't know how to incorprate her into it, so I dropped that idea. This time, they'll have some more important roles! (I hope…) Well, that's all for now! TripleK3 out!


	2. Chapter 2 Birthday Party

Chapter 2

Birthday Party

The day Sawako had been anticipating all week had finally come. It was Sawako's birthday, and she had gotten up a bit earlier than usual just to eat breakfast and prepare. She put on a long sleeved pink dress and fixed her hair, with the hairclip she had gotten from Shota, the beautiful yellow chrysanthemum hair clip. As she stares at her reflection in the mirror, she remembers Shota's stunning smile as he handed the capsule that contained the clip. She smiled to herself and quickly blushed at the thought. _'I can't stop thinking about Shota. I really want to see him now…'_ Sawako sighed to herself at the loneliness, and stared outside at the window to look at the scenery.

There was a faint sheet of snow over the rooftops of the houses nearby. There wasn't as much snow unlike Christmas before, but it was still quite a bit. _'Snow…'_ Her eyes widen as a flash of memories pass by her. She quickly blushes, but even so, she smiles to herself. The first time she had kissed Shota was under the snow on that Christmas night. She puts her fingers on her lips, trying to remember that soft, warm feeling against her lips. She continues to look outside, and looks down onto the road. As she scans the road, her eyes widen at a sight.

Sawako quickly ran out of her room, with her parents surprised at the sudden movement.

"Sawako, what's wrong!" Sawako's dad asked surprised. Sawako does not even look at her father as she runs past him.

"Don't worry! I'll be right back!" Sawako shouted out as she put her jacket and shoes on. She quickly left the house, not even trying to close the door. She goes past the gate, and turns to her left.

There, Shota is crouching against the gate's wall, and Sawako notices him.

"Shota!" Sawako calls out to him. He falls over from surprise and Sawako runs towards him.

"Ouch… ah! Sawako!" Shota looks up to see Sawako staring at him with a worried look.

"Wait! It's not what it seems! I'm not a stalker! I mean…AH! I ALMOST FORGOT!" Sawako stares in confusion at Shota's abrupt interruption to his own sentence.

He grins towards her. "Happy birthday, Sawako!"

"T-thank you!" Sawako blushed. _'No way, I really do get to see him. And he's one of the first people I see today! Now that I think about it…he's the first person to say happy birthday to me!'_

"Umm…the thing is… I couldn't sleep, so I decided to come to your house earlier. But then…" Shota looked away in dismay. "It was way too early, and I didn't want to bother you…Sorry…"

"Huh! You don't have to hesitate!" Shota looks up to Sawako's determined expression. "You should have just ringed the door bell! I don't mind! I don't want you to get sick again!" Sawako's expression softened and she smiled to Shota, giving her hand out to him. Shota stares at Sawako's smile and smiles back.

"Okay, sorry. I'll ring the door bell as soon as I come. Even if it's 4 in the morning." He takes Sawako's hand and gets up as she laughs. They both hold hands as they enter Sawako's home.

"Ara, ara, haven't you come early today?" Sawako's mother said with a smile as she saw Shota and Sawako enter the house.

"Ah! Pardon my intrusion!" Shota said while bowing.

"Oh, it's fine. I don't mind!"

"Umm…mom, we're going to my room now." As soon as Sawako said that, her father's head popped out from the living room. He was quickly about to object.

"Okay, go ahead Sawako~" Sawako's mother said nicely, blocking off Sawako's father's objection. As Sawako and Shota went up the stairs, Sawako's father quickly shouted out "LEAVE THE DOOR OPEN!"

Sawako and Shota entered Sawako's room, leaving the door open of course. Shota examined the room, thinking to himself it hasn't changed much. They both sit down, leaning against the wall. No words were spoken, and both were bothered by the awkward tension.

_'Uwah! I invited him up here, but I'm saying nothing. Am I being a bother like this! Oh no! What should I do! I need to say something before he says I'm boring and leaves!'_ It was obvious Sawako was over exaggerating, but it helped her create a conversation.

"Oh yeah…Shota, didn't you say you want to go to the temple again for the amazake?"

"Eh? Amazake?" Shota blinked in confusion.

_"T-the amazake last year was really good! We should go there again this New Year's eve!" _

_ "We should go again!" Sawako stated happily._

"Oh yeah…" Shota remembered what he had said. _'Well…at the time, I was just trying to say her name, and it led into that. Wait! How does she still remember this! That was like a few weeks ago!'_ Shota thought to himself.

"You don't want to go?" Sawako asked, confused. Shota stared at Sawako and thought it over. _'Basically, right now…Sawako is asking me out…HOW CAN I REFUSE?'_

"LET'S GO!" Shota said with newfound enthusiasm, and Sawako was taken back from his cheerfulness. _'He really is 100% cheerful!'_ Sawako thought to herself, feeling blinded from his cheerfulness, not understanding that SHE herself was the reason Shota was so cheerful.

"Yup! Let's all go! With Chizu-chan, Ayane-chan, and Sanada-kun!" Sawako said with a smile across her face. Shota nodded happily to her, until he let the words sink in. He pondered about the words for a second. _'Wait…does that mean…it isn't a date…?'_

…

Shota quickly curled up into a ball from displeasure, and pouted to himself. Sawako is surprised, and tries to figure out what was wrong.

"Shota!"

"Don't worry…it's nothing…" Shota muttered to Sawako, sighing to himself.

"Eh? But you look so sad! Why?" _'Don't you get it? It's because I want to be alone with you tonight…'_ Shota thought to himself in response. But he didn't say it. He uncurled himself from his little ball, and looked Sawako in the eyes. She blinked in confusion and Shota continued to stare at her. _'Maybe I should just tell her…Maybe she'll understand…'_

"Look, umm, the r-reason is…" Shota was so quiet, it was almost impossible to hear Shota. Not to mention he was stuttering. Sawako tried her best to listen. However, just as Shota is about to continue…

*DING DONG*

They both completely stop what they're doing. It was almost as if they froze as soon as they heard that sound. Sawako looked out her door, and back to Shota, and continued to do so. She was so confused on what to do. Answer the door and greet her friends, or stay with Shota. Shota saw Sawako's dismay and sighed. He forced a smile to Sawako.

"Let's go answer the door together, Sawako."

"Huh? You sure? I thought…"

"It's fine. Let's go." Before Sawako could even object, he got up and took Sawako's hand, almost forcing her to get up quickly, as they went down the stairs together holding hands.

"Yo, Sawako! Good morning, Sawako's parents!"

"Hello. Pardon for the intrusion."

"Pardon for the intrusion…*yawn*"

Everyone else was at the door, and Sawako smiled to them all.

"P-please come in!" Sawako quickly invited them in, and they gladly accepted.

"Oh? You guys are all romantic even in the morning!"

"I never knew you both had the guts to be so cute!"

Ayane and Chizuru chided the couple, who were still holding hands. They both blushed and quickly let go of one another's hands. Ayane and Chizuru laughed together, as Ryuu watched their cruel teasing of his best friend.

"Have you all eaten lunch yet?" Sawako asked her group of friends.

"No, not yet. Sawako, why don't we go out to eat lunch today for your birthday?" Ayane said with a smile.

"Eh? Really!" Sawako asked happily.

"Hey, hey, I want to eat Sawako's home cooking instead!" Chizuru objected happily.

"My cooking? Are you sure it won't taste bad?"

"Of course not! Come on, Yano-chin!" Chizuru said, poking her friend into convincing Sawako as well.

"Well…eating Sawako's food won't make me fat! And it'll taste good! I agree with Chizu!" Ayane shouted happily.

"Ah, but…" Sawako looked up to Shota who noticed. "Umm…is it okay if you eat my cooking?" Sawako asked nervously. _'I don't want him to eat something he doesn't want.'_

"Of course I'll eat it! I want to eat it!" Shota said impulsively, leaving Sawako blushing. Ryuu just nodded to Sawako when she looked at him, wanting to ask if he wanted to eat her cooking as well.

"I'll cook then… but it might take a while. Is that okay?"

"It's okay. Take your time, Sawako. We'll sit in the living room for now." Ayane said back.

After 15 minutes, Sawako finished preparing lunch. There were all types of different dishes on the table, more than enough for everyone.

"ITADAKIMASU~!" Everyone shouted together before they ate. Sawako did not dare eat, until she heard Shota's opinion. She watched every single one of his movements, picking up the chopsticks, selecting a dish, and picking the food up. She watched him put the food into his mouth and chewing at it.

"D-Does it taste okay?" Sawako asked nervously.

"It's delicious!" Shota said with a big grin on his face.

Sawako smiled happily to herself, and began to eat as well. After eating a good meal, everyone decided to head to Sawako's room.

"So, what should we do now?" Chizuru asked curiously.

"I have a few board games!" Sawako said happily.

"Oh Sawako, I want to play this game first." Ayane interrupted. Everyone stared at Ayane curiously, who gave a big smirk. "Truth or Dare~"

Shota quickly could tell this was not going to be good, while Chizuru and Ryuu looked on oblivious. Sawako slowly raised her hand up.

"Hmm? What's up, Sawako?"

"Umm…what is this 'Truth or Dare'?" Sawako asked so innocently.

"Oh, Sawako, you haven't played it before?" Chizuru asked.

"No…is that bad?" Sawako said, about to turn depressed.

"Of course not! Basically, you have to choose between truth or dare. If you pick truth, the person asks you a question and you have to tell the truth. If you pick dare, you have to do whatever the person dares you to do." Ayane explained. "So, now that Sawako knows the rules, LET US START!"

"I'll start the game first!" Chizuru said happily with a grin. She stared at Ryuu, who noticed the eagerness in her eyes. "Ryuu, truth or dare?"

"Can I pick none of the above…?"

"OF COURSE NOT!"

"…Dare then."

"Call me 'Chii'!" Chizuru said with a big grin on her face.

"…No."

"WHAT! YOU HAVE TO! IT'S TRUTH OR DARE!"

"If you beat me in a match, then maybe."

"HUH! BUT I'VE NEVER BEATEN YOU BEFORE!" Chizuru kept screaming at Ryuu, who only gave sly comments back.

The others looked onto the two's argument. _'This is not truth or dare anymore.'_ Shota and Ayane thought. Sawako looked on, with sparkles in her eyes. _'They get along so well, that they can kid with one another!'_

After bickering for almost half an hour, Chizuru sighed to herself and gave up. Ryuu only yawned in response to what had just happened.

"Ryuu, you have to ask me. We got to continue this game." Ayane said to Ryuu.

"Ah okay. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Does my head really look like a sea urchin…?"

'_He's still worried about that?'_ Everyone thought in their head.

"Ryuu, that was from the school trip, MONTHS ago!" Chizuru said in shock. However, Ryuu gave it no mind. He just waited for an answer to his question.

"Uh…no, Ryuu. Not at all…" Ayane said without looking Ryuu in the eye. However, he did not care, and just nodded.

"Now then…It's my turn." Ayane said with an evil grin plastered on her face. She quickly glanced at Shota, who froze up at the sight. _'Something bad will happen, I know it…'_

"Kazehaya, truth or dare?"

"Uh…" _'If I say dare, she's obviously going to make me do something weird with Sawako…Although that may not be bad- WAIT WHAT AM I THINKING!'_ "…Truth." Shota said after his inner conflict.

"Who was your first love?"

"Eh?"

"You know, like a person you liked as a kid? Even as a childish love?" Ayane said curiously, with excitement in her voice. Chizuru eyed Shota as well. Both girls were anticipating the answer more than Sawako herself. _'If Shota and Sawako can get past this, I'm sure they'll become even closer!'_ Ayane thought to herself.

"T-that…"

"Come on, Sawako. Don't you want to know too?" Ayane slyly said to Sawako, trying to get Sawako to help her out.

'_Although…it's true…I…'_ Sawako looks up to Shota as she thought to herself. _'What type of girl did Shota love in the beginning of his life? A shy girl? A girl who was refreshing? A cute girl?'_

"I want to know…" Sawako said slowly, but certainly. Ayane smirked as she stared at the blushing Shota.

"Well then, your girlfriend has confirmed she wants to know. Now spill it! Tell us your thoughts!" Ayane said with a tone as if she had won a battle. Shota looked at her grimly, and swallowed.

"I…" All of them, even Ryuu, looked on, anticipating Shota's answer to Ayane's question.

"M-my first love…is…" Shota kept stuttering as he spoke, with everyone leaning in a bit closer at each moment.

"It's…"

'_It's…?'_ Everyone thought in their head.

"…"

"KNOW WHAT! IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! I PASS!" Shota bursted out, forcing everyone to flinch back. He sighed to himself, as Sawako looked on with a worried look. _'Ah…I really wanted to know…But it was invading his privacy, huh? I hope he isn't too mad…AH! WHAT IF HE IS MAD! WHAT DO I DO!'_ Before she knew it, Sawako's thoughts filled with worry became panic in her head.

"Sawako?"

"Eh!" Sawako turned to see Shota staring at her. She quickly blushed from the close distance between them.

"It's your turn, you know."

"Huh? Turn?" Sawako looked in front of her to see a game board with a dice in front of her.

"Ah! Sorry!" _'How stupid of me…I'm making him worry. I have to enjoy myself!'_ Sawako yelled internally, while Shota stared in confusion.

Before they knew it, hours passed by with everyone playing board games, since Chizuru got really competitive and dragged everyone into playing more games.

"Ah…I'm hungry." Ryuu suddenly spoke out, in the middle of one of the games. Everyone stared at Ryuu from his abrupt comment.

"Now that you mention it, it's almost 7." Ayane said as she checked her cell phone.

"Oh, do you want me to make something to eat?" Sawako asked, moving to get up.

"Of course not! Instead, let's eat ramen!" Chizuru said happily as she stood up.

"Kazehaya has to treat Sawako to anything she wants!" Ayane exclaimed happily.

"Eh! No, I couldn't…"

"It's fine. He's the only one who didn't get you a present right?" Chizuru said with a grin.

"What are you talking about? Of course I did." Shota said right back. "Besides, where are your presents for Sawako?"

"We're giving it to her after dinner. How stupid of you~" Ayane said with a grin on her face.

"…I think the conversation went off topic…" Ryuu said as he noticed it went from food to presents.

"Anyways, let's get going!" Chizuru said, quickly running out of Sawako's room.

"Man, Chizu really gets excited if it's about ramen…" Ayane said as she followed Chizu's lead.

"Yeah…" Ryuu followed as well, with Sawako and Shota being left in the room.

"Should we get going?" Shota got up, and gave Sawako his hand.

"Yup!" Sawako took Shota's hand with a smile, as he blushed in surprise.

"By the way…I'm treating you to ramen…"

"Huh! But…!"

"It's my special privilege, okay?" Shota wouldn't take no for an answer, as he smiled at Sawako. Sawako noticed she couldn't do anything to stop Shota, and in the end, agreed.

'_This birthday…may be the best birthday I've had since I was born.'_ Sawako thought as she smiled to herself. Shota noticed Sawako's smile, and smiled back as he held onto Sawako's hand. Sawako blinked in surprise as she looked down to see her hand, but still held back. _'This birthday…spending it with my friends…and spending it with the person I love the most…it's really amazing.'_

A.N.- I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER! CELEBRATION! ^V^! After a freaking 6 month hiatus, I've finally come back. I'm really happy to have gotten so many story alerts, favourite author alerts, and reviews. It really boosted my self-confidence to write more. But if you ask me, I'm not exactly really happy with this chapter. The whole truth or dare game got messed up, since the original question Ayane asked Shota was when did he like Sawako. If you've been reading the recent chapters, Sawako already discovers when it was. So I had to change the whole entire question and concept of this chapter. Not to mention, this chapter, I worked on it a little bit every day, so I'm pretty scared it won't flow properly. Promise the next chapter will be much better, and be released at least less than a month from this release. Thank you everyone for your support :D TripleK3, out! ^_

P.S.- If you've noticed, the name of the fanfic has been changed. Basically there's another fanfic of Kimi ni Todoke called Forever With You, which was released WAY before mine. I decided to change the name out of respect and such. Hope you like the new title instead :D


	3. Chapter 3 Remembering

Chapter 3

Remembering

After finishing the ramen made by Ryu's dad, everyone sat back, to notice it was already 8:30.

"Man, eating ramen is the best!" Chizuru said with a voice filled with enjoyment.

"Yeah, but look at the time. You ate way too many bowls this time!" Ayane said back. Chizuru looked back, about to cry.

"B-But...it tastes so good!"

"Anyways, Chizu, didn't you say we were going to your house for Sawako's birthday?" Ayane questioned Chizuru, reminding her of their idea.

"Ah! You're right! Let's go!" Chizuru took Ayane and Sawako, with all three girls quickly running to Chizuru's house.

"W-wait! There's no need to drag us there while running!"

"Chizu-chan, slow down!" Yet both Ayane's and Sawako's cries were heard by deaf ears, as Chizuru instead continued to run, speeding up as she did.

"Eh! Sawako!" Shota looked on, to see his girlfriend being stolen right in front of his eyes. _'Eh! What's going on! I'm so confused!' _Sawako thought to herself in panic.

"...Although it isn't anything too serious, we should go after them." Ryu said solemnly.

"Huh! Yeah, we should!" Shota said, with the two boys jogging after the girls.

"Okay, hold still, Sawako!"  
There, Sawako sat in the middle of Chizuru's room, with Chizuru on her knees, fixing Sawako's hair, as Ayane started adding make up onto Sawako.

"Eh? Isn't this almost like deja-vu?" Sawako asked in confusion.

"Oh...I guess you're right!" Ayane said happily.

"We did this for you last birthday. But this time, although it's for your birthday, there's a different reason." Chizuru said, as she looked back into the past. "Oh, we should leave your hair clip on."

"Sawako, you've become so cute since we first met you. I'm sure Kazehaya has always thought you were cute since you both first met. So shouldn't you try to impress him even more? To make him more happy?"

"Eh? B-but, I'm not that cute!"

"Maybe. In reality, Kurumi could be way cuter than you." Ayane replied back. _'Eh? Kurumi-chan?'_ Sawako imagined the adorable Kurumi, with her light chestnut curly hair.

"But to us, and I bet for Kazehaya as well, you're the cutest in the world." Ayane said with a smile as she finished Sawako's make up.

"Sawa, you have to have confidence in yourself. You got together with the guy you loved for a long time. It's an amazing accomplishment. So..." Chizu finished curling Sawako's hair. "Be confident, and show Kazehaya he was right to fall in love with you."

Ayane and Chizuru moved back in front of Sawako, to look at their work.

"I think we did a good job this year." Chizuru said as she looked at Sawako.

"I agree. Maybe even better than the year before." Ayane said with a giggle.

"Here, Sawako. We got you this pair of gloves and scarf. We hope you like it." Chizuru and Ayane handed Sawako their present, which were a pink and yellow striped scarf and white gloves with small fake snowflakes on it.

"Thank you! I'll use them!" Sawako said happily, as Ayane and Chizuru hugged her. "Let's get going." Chizuru said.

"Oh yeah. Sawako..." Sawako looked to see Ayane go near her. Ayane whispered something to Sawako, who's eyes widened in surprise.

"Really!" Sawako said in surprise.

"Yup, I think so." Ayane said with a smile. After the short

conversation, the three girls headed downstairs.

As they went down the stairs, Sawako noticed Shota waiting at the door, with Ryu standing beside him.

"Oh, Ryu! You finally got here!" Chizu said as she slapped Ryu on the back.

"We've been here a long time, and were waiting..." Ryu explained.

"Sorry, sorry." Chizuru said as she bowed in apology.

"Sawako, come on down." Ayane said, as she eyed Shota, who looked up, anticipating Sawako.

As Sawako started going down the stairs, Shota's eyes began to widen. There, Sawako stood there on the stairs as she stared at Shota, with pink lip gloss on her lips, and light make up on her face. The ends of her hair were curled, with her bangs moved to the side again like the year before, giving her a graceful look. On her hair, her hair clip atoned her hair, making it perfect.

_'Beautiful...Just like a princess.'_ Shota thought to himself in his head, as he stared in amazement at Sawako. Sawako began walking down the stairs, with both Shota and Sawako staring at one another the whole time.

"Umm..." Sawako was looking down as she held her hand to her chest. "Do...Do I look okay?" Sawako said as she looked back up at Shota. He quickly blushed from the gesture she had just did, blushing like crazy.

"Of course! You look beauitful!" Shota said back quickly.

"A-ah! T-thank you!" Sawako said back. _'I'm so happy...he complimented me...'_

"Oh, look at him. So bold!" Ayane said with a grin.

"How direct of him!" Chizuru said with a laugh. The two began to hold in their laughter against Shota, who could tell himself a vein was popping out.

"Okay, you two, get going." Chizuru and Ayane slightly pushed Sawako and Shota out the door.

"Eh? Aren't we all going together?" Sawako asked in confusion.

"Ryu and I already went there yesterday!" Chizu said as she patted Ryu on the shoulder.

"While my family and I are going together tomorrow. So have fun~" Ayane said. As Ayane tried to help Sawako swallow the fact she would be going alone with Shota, Chizuru quickly took the moment to pull Shota back.

"Ryuu told us you were upset you couldn't spend it alone with Sawako. Here's your chance!" Chizuru whispered as she grinned to Shota. Shota looked at Chizuru, then Ayane, then Ryu.

"Well then, good bye!" Chizuru said, as she was about to close the door. Shota gave them all one last smile. _'Thanks, you guys.'_

The couple walked in the snow quietly, with both not saying anything. Snow gently fell upon the town, with the weather leaving a crisp, cold air for people to breathe in. The two smiled, appreciating the other for being there at that very moment. A strong wind passed the two quickly, leaving a chill on the both of them. Shota looked down at Sawako.

"Are you cold?" Shota asked.

"Huh? Oh, not really..." Sawako said, hiding the truth. _'It is pretty cold, but it's not too serious.'_

"Oh...Because...I'm pretty cold." Shota said as he avoided looking Sawako in the eye, blushing, at what he was trying to subtly suggest.

"Really! Do you want me to give you my scarf-"

"Hand."

"Hand?" Sawako repeated in confusion. Sawako noticed Shota had taken his hand out. _'Oh...hand...'_ She smiled to herself.

"U-unless you don't want to-" Shota couldn't continue, because Sawako gently took his hand. He blushed as he looked away. _'Was that...too bold of me?'_ Shota asked himself. But despite that, the two held hands as they walked together.

Meanwhile, with Ayane, Chizuru, and Ryu, the three of them began playing video games. As they did, Chizuru brought up a good point.

"Hey, Yano-chin. Why didn't we follow them this time?"

"Hmm. Well last time, they weren't a couple yet. If we did't watch, something bad could've happened."

"Bad?"

"Like another misunderstanding. But they're a couple now. If they face any misunderstandings, they'll get over it. That's what a couple is, after all."

"He he. Yano-chin, it seems you get wiser each year."

"And you don't seem to change at all." Ayane said in remark.

"T-that's not true!"

"Well, there seems to be no difference. You'll be different if you can beat Ryu!"

"T-that..." Chizuru turned to glare at Ryu, who only stared at the TV screen. "Ah! Why do you always have to beat me!" Chizuru said in anger, as she hit Ryu.

"Ow..."

"Now, now. Don't hit Ryu." Ayane said, trying to calm Chizuru down. _'It seems she gets more angry each year instead...'_ Ayane thought to herself.

As they walked to the shrine, they stopped at an intersection. Shota smiled to himself as he stared at the spot. _'Ah...this was where we had our first kiss.' _Sawako thought to herself.

"This place...is really important to me." Shota said.

"Eh?"

"This...is where we first met. The first day of our first year together, the cherry blossoms were still in bloom, and you smiled to me that day. Before I knew it, I got closer to you, and waited here for you on the first day of summer vacation. I got close enough to you, to be able to comfort you here during the mid-terms. We became so close, to the point we even had our first kiss here. This place holds so many memories. And it holds only memories of me and you." Shota smiled at Sawako, who stared in surprise.

"You remember it all..." Sawako said, amazed.

"Of course I would. Don't write me off as a person who forgets things easily." Shota said with a grin. Sawako's eyes sparkled as she thought to herself. _'He remembers it all. He didn't disregard all thsoe memories as something useless.'_ Sawako smiled in happiness.

"And now, I have another new memory!" Shota said with a smile.

"Another?" Shota grinned in response, and lifted up his hand, which also held Sawako's hand.

"I passed by this spot again with you holding hands, on your birthday! And especially when you're this pretty!"

"P-pretty!" Sawako blushed at the sudden compliment. Shota quickly blinked, and began to realize he had just said. He turned red quickly.

"Uh…Sorry, I say things so suddenly-"

"Thank you." Sawako interrupted, making Shota look at Sawako in surprise.

"For what I said before? It's fine. You don't need to force yourself to thank me-"

"No, that's not all it is. Thank you, for always complimenting me. And not just for that. This whole year, was even more fun than last year. There were lots of misunderstandings, and I was hurt a few times. But every single time, you would always make me feel better. Everything you've done for me this year, made it so amazing. There were so many new "firsts" for me. It was the first time I had fell in love with someone, and I fell in love so badly I made myself all confused. It was the first time the person I love to confess to me. Thank you, for holding my hand, for smiling to me, for comforting me in my times of need, for embracing me, for kissing me…Thank you for everything." Sawako finished her long speech, and looked up to Shota who smiled to her.

"You know, all of this happiness of yours couldn't have been achieved if you hadn't done anything."

"Eh?"

"You should know by now. I fell in love with you, because of how you tried your best and enjoyed life. I don't think I could have ever been able to confess, if I had never had these memories with you."

"What do you mean?"

"As soon as I realized how all the time, you would never give up, and try to keep working as best as you could despite any situation, I decided to do the same thing as well. I tried to confess to you once more, and it worked. And look at us now…" Shota smiled to Sawako. "Look how close we've become."

Sawako stared at Shota, and smiled as the wind passed them by. _'That's right. Now, after both of us working hard, we can walk together, holding each other's hand.'_ Sawako thought to herself.

"Let's get going." Shota said with a smile.

"Yup, let's go." Sawako said as she smiled once more, with the couple walking together, hand in hand. _'Only one hour left 'til New years.'_

A.N.- Finished this chapter just a week after writing Chapter 2. I'm starting to get out of my writer's block. I noticed last chapter with the help of a review, I messed up present and past tenses. Sorry about that! D: This time, i tried to make sure everything was in past tense. This is a relatively short chapter. There's like 1000 less words this time DX It's just that it didn't feel right to cram too much into this chapter. I wanted to have them spend their New Years through a few chapters instead. I'll try to release the next chapter as quickly as possible. Plz remember to review if you like it or hate it :D


	4. Chapter 4 First Love

Chapter 4

First Love

Sawako and Shouta were reaching the shrine, and noticed the steps leading up to it.

"Don't worry." Shouta's grip on Sawako tightened. "I won't let you fall." He smiled at Sawako, who was left blushing in response. She could only nod in agreement, and the couple slowly went up. Many times, Sawako had almost slipped, but Shouta was always there to hold onto her.

"So, what do you want to do first? We came a bit early." Shouta asked Sawako, who thought for a while. They had arrived 45 minutes before the New Year, and both had no idea what they wanted to do.

"Ah! I remember now!" Sawako shouted, surprising Shouta.

"What is it?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to drink amazake?" Sawako asked.

"Eh?"

"Remember? Before Christmas break!"

_'I did?'_ Shouta thought to himself, before his eyes widened as he started to remember.

…

_"Kuronuma! I need to talk to you!'_

_ "What is it?"_

_ "Umm…S-S…SAKE! Remember the amazake from last year! Let's drink it again during New Year!"_

…

_'Man, I forgot. Sawako doesn't understand I used that to hide the fact I couldn't say her first name.'_

"Oh…did you not want to drink it…because I was hoping we could get some…But if you don't want any-!"

"No, let's get some amazake! It's starting to get cold! We'll warm up with it!" Shouta said in reply, making sure Sawako wasn't worried or depressed. This was the one day he wouldn't let her be upset in any way. It was her birthday after all.

The two of them noticed that this time the line was a bit longer. The bell even rung, signaling 30 minutes left until the New Year while they were in line. When the two finally got to get their amazake, a kind lady smiled to the two.

"I guess it's two for the couple, huh?" She said as she passed the cups to the both of them. Sawako blushed at the comment, as they walked to find somewhere to sit. They decided to sit on some stones that surrounded the trees around.

_'That's right. This year is different. We're a couple now.'_ A small smile appeared on Sawako's face, and Shouta noticed.

"Hmm? What's the matter?"

"No…it's nothing. It's just that, this year, we're an actual couple." Shouta quickly blushed at the comment, but still smiled.

"Yeah, we are now! Time flies by quickly."

"Mmm, but I still remember all those memories as though they were yesterday." Sawako said back.

"True, a lot of things happened this year. The school festival, summer vacation, our trip to Okinawa, Christmas, and now, the end of the year."

"And the beginning of the next year. A new year where we'll create even more memories."

"It seems this year, you're more excited about the next year." Shouta said with a laugh. "You're amazing, Sawako!" Sawako quickly blushed at the comment, letting out a small "Thank you".

Before they knew it, a chime rang throughout the grounds. There were 15 minutes left until the New Year.

"Sawako…"

"Yes?" Sawako looked towards Shouta, who held her hand.

"Happy birthday!" He said with a grin. Sawako blushed in response.

"You told me, you were born around this time of the year. Happy 17th birthday, Sawako! This time, I was able to get you a gift." Shouta quickly put his hand into his jacket's pocket, moving around until he got it out.

"I'm really bad at picking out this type of stuff, so forgive me." He gave a small bag to Sawako.

"It's fine! As long as it's from you, I'm happy with that." Sawako began to open the bag, as Shouta watched silently. As she opened the bag, she noticed a bracelet that matched her necklace.

"Wahh! It's so cute! Thank you, Shouta!" Sawako began to have tears coming out of her eyes. Shota quickly flinched in response.

"Sorry! Did I do something wrong!" Shota quickly asked in response, worried he had made Sawako upset.

"That's not it. I'm so happy…Oh no! The makeup! Three seconds please!" Sawako quickly opened her eyes wide, stopping her tears. Shota stared in surprise. _'Again, just like last year.'_

"You seem a bit too happy about something like that." Shouta said with a blush, as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, while laughing a bit at the same time.

"Oh. That's because it's the first bracelet someone has given to me. Thank you! I love it!" Sawako said with a smile.

_'First…' _Shouta began to think to himself, as Sawako put the bracelet on her hand, despite wearing gloves. _'Love…'_

"It's you."

"Hmm?" Sawako got the bracelet on her hand, and turned to look at Shouta, who was looking down. He finally looked up, with a small blush on his face.

"You're my first love."

Sawako stared in surprise. _'I'm…his first love!'_ Sawako let the fact sink in, and as it did, her face grew more red by the second. She continued to listen to Shouta intently, as he spoke, cherishing each word.

"You're beautiful, cheerful, and strong. You work hard by yourself, and even if I want to lend a helping hand, you're always able to solve the situation yourself. When I first met you, I may have already been in love, but I didn't notice it until later on. It grew into something so amazing. But it also turned me into such a complicated person. I got jealous, I had hurt you without knowing it from my silence, I began to become impatient, it was terrible of me." Sawako stared at Shouta in return, wanting to interrupt. "Even today. I was upset, because I didn't get to spend the whole day with you. I'm so lucky that the others decided to let me spend these last few hours alone with you. Really, I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Shota looked up to see Sawako smile towards him. "I told you this before, but I'll say it again. It's fine. I love you like you are. You know, Shota, to be honest, I've become greedy. I want all of you. And right now. I didn't notice this until now, but…our date right now was the best part of today." Shota stared in response, and his eyes softened.

"Because of you, I know it's okay. Because you always forgive me. And you always love me back. Here we are together now. Thank you." Shouta said with a smile, leaving Sawako to smile even more.

"Truth or dare?"

"Eh?" Sawako blinked in surprise. Shouta gave a playful smirk.

"I never got to ask you before while we were playing. So, truth or dare?"

"Umm…Truth."

"Then I'll ask the same question as before. Who was your first love?"

Sawako blushed, but she didn't need to doubt herself.

"Kazehaya Shouta." Shouta blushed back in response, being rendered unable to speak. "When I first saw you, you were cheerful and had a refreshing feeling. You weren't afraid of me, unlike others. I may have called it admiration back then, but I think deep down, I may have already been in love, even before you called me by my name. But now, before I knew it, I didn't love just your cheerful self. I loved every part of you. The you who plays baseball, the you who comforted me in my times of need, the you who I thought had broke my heart, the you who confessed to me…I love all of it. I love you."

"I see…Sorry!" Shouta looked away for a while. "When I heard you say that, I started getting overwhelmed by my feelings. I feel really happy now, but it's a bit hard for me to look you in the face." He still held onto Sawako's hand, but at this point, his face had become a color of crimson despite the cold, and he held his hand near his face, trying to cover his blush. "S-same!" Sawako said, feeling as though her heart would burst at any moment.

"L-let's go give our prayers!" Shouta said with a blush, as he got up. He still held onto Sawako's hand, and looked down at her. She nodded in agreement, and the two quickly went.

As they reached the shrine, the two both bowed and clapped, giving their prayer.

"Shouta, I want to be by your side forever." Sawako said, with her eyes closed, as Shouta watched her. "And if I can't be by your side, I want to be able to at least watch you from afar." Shouta stared surprise, as he stared in front of him. He slowly closed his eyes.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure, that no matter what, we're always together. I won't let anything destroy it. I may make mistakes, but I'll fix it. I know I can do it, since I have you with me." Shouta said in response. At that very moment, Sawako wanted to cry, but resisted. She didn't want to make Shouta worry, and besides, she should smile when she's happy instead of crying.

When they finished their prayers, the two decided on what to do next. Shouta took out his cell phone.

"There are still 7 minutes left. Want to get a written fortune?"

"Let's go!" Sawako said, and the both went to get their fortune.

Sawako began to become shifty as she got her fortune. _'Did I get bad luck again? I hope I didn't!'_ Sawako closed her eyes as she opened the fortune. She opened one eye to take a peek, then both to make sure what she was reading was right.

She had gotten a Good Luck fortune! Sawako smiled at her new luck for the new year. Shouta noticed, and went behind Sawako.

"Hey, you got Good Luck!" Sawako turned to notice Shouta smiling at her. "We're matching this time! I got Good Luck as well!"

"Really! That's great!" Sawako said with a smile. She looked back to her fortune, and saw the Love Life part.

_'Be brave and have more confidence, to impress your lover even more!'_

Sawako blushed in response at how she should be more bold for the New Year. She quickly remembered what Ayane had told her.

…

_"Oh yeah, Sawako…"_

_ "Yes?"_

_ "I need to tell you…" Ayane began to whisper to Sawako._

_ "Couples who kiss right at the beginning of the New Year are destined to be together forever!"_

_ "F-forever!"_

_ "Yup. I thought I should remind you. I'm scared Kazehaya may not make the first move, so you better remember that!"_

…

Sawako had been thinking about that the whole time whenever she saw Shouta. It doesn't help that just before, they had talked about being by each other's side while they were giving their prayers.

"Oh! It seems like there's going to be an event for the New Year! Let's get going!" Shouta said with excitement. There was only one minute left until the New Year. Mostly everyone was gone, and gathering around the shrine once more. Shouta was about to head over there, but before he knew it…

He felt a pull on his jacket. He turned slightly, to see Sawako staring back up at him. He did not say anything, only being silent.

_'A couple who kisses right as they enter the New Year will be together forever…'_

Sawako placed her arms around Shouta's shoulders, lifting herself up slightly. She closed her eyes, going closer to Shouta, inch by inch, as time continued to tick away to the first day of the New Year.

A.N.: Okay, onto chapter 4! This is WAY different from the original plan, so I was basically winging it. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. At first, I wanted to make this New years arc 2 chapters, but I thought it'd be better to stretch it out to 3 chapters, because if I didn't, it'd be crammed, and I'm too lazy to write that much for one chapter. This chapter, Ayane, Chizu, and Ryuu didn't appear D: Don't worry though, they'll appear in the next chap ;D Don't you love the ending, with its cliff hanger like feeling? XD Sry, I had to. Review plz~ And thank you to everyone who has been kind to add my stories as Favorite Stories, and have me as one of their Favorite Authors. (yes, I do get emails for that, so I know who you ppl are :D) Thank you very much! :P Let's hope I release chapter 5 soon XD

P.S. Btw, it seems my time management in this story is terrible DX I suck at stuff like this. What with the 1 hour, 45 minutes, all those minutes before New Years. Sorry about that! m(_ _)m


	5. Chapter 5 By Your Side

Chapter 5

By Your Side

Sawako was getting closer to Shota by each passing second, and she began to think to herself. _'Now that you mention it, this isn't fair. Does Shota want this?'_ Before Sawako realized it, she accidentally opened her eyes, with Shota staring back at surprise.

A moment of silence…

Sawako quickly jumped back, and she thought that her whole body turned red, not just her face. Shota stared back surprised, unable to say anything. Even if he wanted to, words did not escape his mouth.

"I-I-I'm s-s-s-orry!" Sawako stuttered out. Shota could not say anything, only gap in silence. As Sawako began to calm down, she became a bit depressed, but tried to smile.

"The thing is…I heard…couple's who kiss on New Years…will stay together forever…" Sawako was too afraid to look Shota in the eyes. _'He must think I'm so troubling. I feel so bad for what I did.'_ "Sorry…"

"Sawako…" Before Sawako could even look up, she felt her hand being held by Shota, and he pulled her into a hug.

"S-S-Shota!" He quickly pulled Sawako apart, and closed his eyes, as his lips touched Sawako's.

Sawako blinked in surprise, but quickly closed her eyes, and leaned into the kiss.

*DING DONG*

In the distance, were the bells for the start of a New Year. However, Sawako did not think anything like that. Instead, she could imagine herself in a beautiful white dress, giving a wedding kiss to Shota, as others cheered in delight, with church bells behind them.

The two of them finally pulled themselves apart from one another, both staying silent to catch their breath. This may have been their longest kiss yet. Shota held onto Sawako's shoulders, as he stared at Sawako in the eye.

"This may be embarrassing, but please don't look away, just for now." Shota said, noticing the blush on both his and Sawako's faces.

"O-okay." _'It's just like back then in the classroom, during the sports festival.'_ Sawako thought back, remembering how the two of them stared at one another in silence after they had an embrace.

"You don't need to be worried. You don't need to hide anything from me." Shota told Sawako, who only stayed silent. "If you want to k-kiss me, go ahead." Shota was already feeling even more embarrassed, feeling his heart thump against his chest, but continued. "I'd be really happy, so don't worry. Just let me kiss you whenever I want to as well. And besides, if it meant we would stay together forever, I don't mind." Shota smiled to Sawako as he finished. "Didn't I say I would make sure we'd be together forever?"

Sawako could only stare at Shota, touched at what he had said. _'He doesn't mind…He doesn't mind!'_ A smile revealed itself on Sawako's face, and she nodded her head in agreement. Shota smiled even more, and pulled Sawako into a hug once more.

"Sorry…Just let me enjoy this moment…okay?"

"Mmm…okay." Sawako hugged back, and the two of them enjoyed the moment for a while.

"Sawako…"

"Shota…"

""Happy New Years."" The two said together.

…

"Ah, I better get going now." Ayane said, as she went to put her shoes on.

"Oh okay. I'll see you later, Yano-chin."

"You know, it's the start of a New Year. Can't you call me something different? Oh, by the way, don't text Sawako until later. I'm sure she's busy right now."

"Busy? Oh…With Kazehaya?" Chizuru replied with a smirk.

"Of course." Ayane answered, with the same smirk.

"When will you two stop making fun of them?" Ryuu said in a monotone response.

And with that, Ayane left the house, and into the cold night.

"I guess I'll go as well." Ryuu said, as he yawned. Chizuru stared in response and sighed.

"Can't you at least start the New Year with a bit more excitement? Act differently, won't you? At least do something different than always yawning."

"…Something different, huh? Hmm…" Ryuu thought to himself, while Chizuru stared in response.

"Chizuru."

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"…"

Ryuu put on his shoes and jacket, and went out of the house.

"What was that!" Chizuru was left surprised, as Ryuu smiled at her.

"Remember to visit tomorrow. Aniki and Haruka are visiting tomorrow."

"O-of course I'll visit! And you didn't act any different than usual!"

"Heh." Ryuu turned his back to Chizuru, and slowly walked back to his house. Little did he or Chizuru know that Chizuru herself was blushing from what he had just said?

"Ack! Why do I feel hot all of a sudden!" Chizuru shouted in surprise, as she closed the door. She ignored it, and opened her cell phone. "L-e-t's g-e-t a-l-o-n-g t-h-i-s y-e-a-r. Save. I'll send it to Sawa in a bit." Chizuru smiled to herself.

"H-a-p-p-y N-e-w Y-e-a-r. Save." Ayane saved the message, planning to send it in a few minutes.

"Oh, Ayane!" Ayane blinked as she turned around, to see Kento standing behind her.

"Kent…Where are your bunch of girls?"

"Oh them? I left them a while ago. Where you going?"

"Home. Why?"

"I'll walk you home then." Kento said with a grin.

"Okay then?"

The two of them began to walk in the snow, and Ayane took the moment to send the text to Sawako. Kento noticed this and thought to himself for a second before he asked.

"Oh yeah, where's Sawako?"

"She's with Kazehaya at the shrine. Why? Wait!" Ayane turned to Kento. "You don't plan on interrupting them, do you!"

"Eh? You still think I'd do that? That's so mean!" Kento said with a crying like voice.

"So you won't?" Ayane said back, making sure.

"I won't bother them. That'd be rude of me. I know Sadako wants to spend time with Kazehaya." Kento said, although he ended it with a small sigh. "Although I don't like her anymore, it still kinda hurts to remember."

"…I guess you're not a bad guy after all."

"What was that, Ayane?"

"Nothing. And don't worry. It takes a while, but your heart will heal. So just be patient." Kento smiled in response to Ayane's advice, and the two continued to walk.

…

"Ah, I got a text. Oh wait, two texts." Sawako said, as she and Shota were getting ready to leave.

"From Yoshida and Yano?"

"Yes! Sorry, can I reply to them first?" Sawako asked, and Shota nodded his head to let her. "T-h-a-n-k y-o-u f-o-r e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. H-a-p-p-y N-e-w Y-e-a-r. Send."

As Sawako and Shota began to walk, Shota decided to start talking with Sawako more.

"So, how did you feel of last year?" Shota asked.

"How did I feel?"

"Any important memories?"

"Important memories huh…the beginning of last year…was kind of hard for me."

"Really…?"

"I…I started to notice I was becoming greedier. I couldn't give you chocolates during Valentines, and before I knew it, it was hard for me to talk to you…But then, it's okay. Because a lot of good things happened after. I was able to confess to you, and you were able to confess to me, and we got together. And that wasn't it! Going to your house for the first time, going to Okinawa together, spending the school year together, being with one another during Christmas…all of it…" Tears started to blur Sawako's vision, and she stood still for a moment. "It's always because of you. I always feel each year is better than the year before. There are so memories I've made because of you. T-thank you."

Shota noticed the tears in Sawako's eyes, and he quickly put his finger under her eye to wipe the tears away.

"Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking you. You gave me so many chances to make these memories. Don't you know? Sawako, you always try so hard. You're always the one who affects me, who helps me try my best. The reason I couldn't let you go, is because I know if you were in my position, you wouldn't give up. So, thank you, for everything." Shota kissed Sawako on the forehead, and she could only smile in response.

"Let's go." Shota gave his outstretched hand to Sawako, who gladly took it. The two of them both began to walk towards Sawako's house, enjoying being by the other's side. _'I'm sure…that all of these good things happened last year was because every one was there for me…Even so…Shota…you're the most important person to me out of all of them.'_

When the two of them reached Sawako's house, Shota slowly let go of Sawako's hand. _'I am kind of upset we have to let go of one another already…but it's okay. Because I know I'll see him soon. And so many good things happened on this date.'_ Shota sensed that Sawako felt a bit lonely from what he just did, and smiled.

"Don't worry, you can call me tomorrow if you'd like." Shota said with a smile. Sawako nodded her head, and waved goodbye to Shota as he left.

The crunching of the snow under him was the only sound he made, until he put his hand into his pocket, searching for something. He pulled out his fortune, opening it again to read it.

"Love Life: Always be there by your lover's side. Be sure to support them, and always try to understand how they feel. Man, that's going to be hard." An image of Sawako's face when she told Shota how she wanted to be by his side popped up in his head. He smiled to himself. "Well, I don't care how tough it'll be. I'll make sure I do what it says, for Sawako."

"Be brave and more confident. It's kind of hard with my personality. But…" Sawako imagined Shota smiling towards her. "If Shota's by my side, I'm sure I can do it."

As the New Year began, Shota and Sawako both gained newfound confidence, and began to find more reasons to love one another, and finally began to understand that they would be by one another's side.

A.N.- Oh man! Finished two chapters in like two days. I'm beat. I didn't really expect to finish this chapter so quickly. It's just that the words just flew out, and I had to quickly type it. I didn't even really look at the plan while writing this chapter, I just wrote out all these ideas I got all of a sudden. I've noticed lately that I've been writing less words for some chapters, but I guess I'll leave it. I'd rather have less words and have the story paced out evenly in chapters, instead of having lots of words for one chapter, overwhelming readers. XD. Btw, decided to add some ChizuRyu and AyaneKento into it. After reading the raws to Chapter 59, I can't help but REALLY like Kento's character. So I decided to let him appear in this chatper XD Yayz for secondary couples, although I like all of the characters from Kimi ni Todoke (excpet Joe…stupid Joe…) Remember to review, and thnx~ :D


	6. Special My Feelings for You

Special

My Feelings for You

"Shota! Let's play, let's play!" As Shota walked into the house, he felt a small tackle from his little brother, Touta, leaving Shota to take a few steps back.

"No chance!" Shota pushed Touta at his head, pushing him away. "Why are you even still up! It's way past midnight!"

"But~"

"He's right, you know." Shota's mom walked to them, and smiled. "Welcome back, Shota."

"I'm back." Shota said back to his plump mother, who looked at Touta.

"Come on, Touta. Let your brother go to sleep. I bet he must be tired. After all…" A smirk went onto her face. "He was on a date with Sawako-chan! And for her birthday, no less!"

"W-what! I mean…yeah, but don't just say it like that! Wait, how did you even know today's Sawako's birthday!" Shota had a furious blush on his face as he asked, and heard his father's voice from the other room.

"Stop shouting, will you! It's already the middle of the night!" Shota stared in response at the other room, and noticed his father was sitting at the couch watching TV. _'You just shouted as well, you know…'_ Shota thought back in retaliation.

After finally getting Touta to go to sleep, Shota finished taking a shower, and jumped onto the bed, looking up at the ceiling. He didn't notice at first, but in his hand was the fortune he had just got with Sawako. He opened the little scroll with his two hands, and read the fortune once more.

_Always be there by your lover's side. Be sure to support them, and always try to understand how they feel._

"I'm sure I can be by her side…but…understand?" Shota began to think back in the past two years, since high school had started.

A lot of things had happened for him. He met Sawako, he got to know people better…but most of all…he had to face many different situations. When Kurumi had first confessed to him, he was left thinking about her the rest of the day. He remembered how back then, he saw her crying in the classroom, and saw her cry again this time at the bicycle stands.

_'Back then…I'm not sure about the first time, but the second time I saw her tears...those tears were because of me…'_ Shota put his hand to his forehead, thinking back of those memories. _'And it's not just Kurumizawa…I'm sure I've hurt a lot of people as well…including Sawako.'_ Shota began to remember all those girls who looked at him like that. At first, he never really noticed it, nor realized it. But after seeing Sawako crying like that from their misunderstanding…

The tears that she shed back then only caused the both of them more confusion. He had never been hurt as badly as this when he saw her tears. Compared to other girls, her tears made him feel the worst. _'Maybe that's my bad point…Not being able to understand others…including those that I've hurt'_

_It's fine…It's fine._

Shota's eyes widened, as he remembered Sawako. All those smiles that she gave him would affect him so badly. Every little thing she did would grab his attention, whether she wanted it or not. And sometimes …those little things that she did with good intention could rip his heart to pieces.

_"Kuronuma…are you really avoiding me?"_

_ "I…I have to go!"_

Back then, a pain in his heart seemed to left him speechless for the rest of day. All those comments and words he said to his friends were things he easily forgotten. He saw their laughs, he smiled back, but his mind wasn't there. All his mind could think about was Sawako, and her response to him.

Somehow…every time he had felt hurt by Sawako, she always did it out of good intentions. That's how good of a person she is. He could remember how during Christmas, she avoided him out of fear. No matter what her intentions were…he never wanted to be avoided. And even now in the future, he doesn't want her to avoid him.

_'Yet…'_ Shota looked back at the hand which held the fortune. _'I can't ever seem to understand her during the most important times…'_ He gripped his other hand hard, angry at the fact he couldn't seem to understand Sawako when she needed to be understood the most. _'Sawako…why can't I be someone who understands every single little thing you do? Why can't I be like a parent who knows what their child likes to eat and what they hate? Why can't I be a god who understands every single word and feeling you think and have?"_

*BZZ*

Shota quickly snapped out of his thoughts, as he noticed his phone vibrating on his table. He got out of bed, and moved towards his table. He took his phone out, and looked at the display

ONE NEW TEXT

He looked in confusion. Who would text him so late? He could ignore it, but decided not to. He flipped his phone open, and went to his inbox. There, he noticed the display.

FROM: Sawako Kuronuma

TITLE: Am I disturbing you?

He quickly opened the message, reading it intently.

"Sorry. Am I disturbing you? Are you already asleep? I wanted to thank you for today once more. It seems I can't go to sleep. I'm so happy right now that I can't fall asleep. I must be selfish, but I'm so happy. If I'm disturbing you, I'm sorry. Maybe you're sick of it…but thank you for everything. I hope we can be together for another year as well.

Kuronuma Sawako"

"A ha ha ha." Shota laughed in response at the text. "Why is she so polite when just sending a text?" His laugh became a small smile, and he began to send a text back.

"Don't worry. You're not bothering me. I haven't gone to sleep yet. I should be the one thanking you. Although it was your birthday, it seems like you gave me even more things. You should try going to sleep soon though. I don't want you to end up sick." Shota said through his text.

"Send." He sent his text message to Sawako, and thought about how she would react when getting a message back. _'I bet she wouldn't have thought I would give her a reply.' _

_'In the end, she's always there to help me out when I need it. It's like she sent me that text because she knew I was troubled by my feelings. I broke all those hearts…and I don't expect to be forgiven as well. But no matter what, I did it all for Sawako, because I love her. My love for her has hurt many others, but it's something that can't be helped. So let me at least make this work. For all those hearts that were broken, I want to at least be with her forever. Maybe it's selfish of me…no, this is selfishness no matter what, but I want it to be true.'_

Shota closed his eyes, and began to dream about his thoughts. He could see Sawako with her back towards him in the dark. She wore the same school uniform he always saw, the same one he first saw during the first day of school.

But it wasn't like before. There were no cherry blossoms flying past them through the soft wind. The early morning sun didn't shine on them like usual, and this time, she didn't look back at him. Her silky black hair dropped to her back, and moved with each step Sawako took. She was walking away.

_'Even if she wants this…'_ He pursed his lips, and clenched his fists, as he took a step out, and began to run towards her.

_'These feelings for her will never stop…'_ He was so close to her, as he stretched his arm out. Sawako continued to walk back, not seeming to notice him.

_`These feelings have already been received…`_ His outstretched arm and hand held onto Sawako's hand, who slowly began to turn around.

_`Just don't…no matter what…_` Sawako and Shota stood face to face, and Shota noticed the darkness peeling away, showing a blue sky, with them being surrounded by the school's gardens.

_`Forget these feelings that have reached you.`_

A.N.- So…chapter 6 is being worked on. I`m not kidding. I am actually working on it :O But before I finish and release it, I wanted to write this chapter. There are several reasons for this. First of all, I wanted to note I`ll be using the original designs for Shota`s parents now, although what happened in my first fanfic will still be same. Second, I thought this would be good foreshadowing of a future arc that will appear. It`s not gonna appear until maybe 9 or 10 chapters from now ._. Third, I really wanted to write a bit of Shota`s feelings. We don`t usually get to see his perspective. Although we do see it more in this fanfiction I`m writing, I wanted to write something not about what he does, but his feelings of his own actions. It isn`t something SUPER IMPORTANT, but I thought it'd go well with the story. Anywayz, this is just a little treat that I wanted to write before releasing chapter 6. Right now, it`s about 1/5 done, so just wait plz :D


	7. Chapter 6 Different Types of Love

Chapter 6

Different Types of Love

Cold wind hit Sawako's face as she walked to school. Their Christmas break was finally over, and Sawako couldn't help but continue to think of the new memories she made over those few days. The snow was still piled on the streets, but was beginning to slowly melt away. The sun was up and shining, although the air still had a winter chill to it.

Entering the warm school building, Sawako went to put away her boots and wear her indoor shoes. Gently placing her boots into the small locker, she closed the door to see Shota smiling towards her.

"Morning."

"Ah, good morning!" Sawako was surprised from suddenly seeing him, but nether less still happy. She smiled to him as she greeted him.

"You're here early, Sawako." Shota noted as they both began to walk to class together.

"Ah, I usually come to school this early."

"Eh? That so? I couldn't sleep last night so I came here early." Shota stopped walking as he thought for a bit, while Sawako turned back to look towards him.

"Hmm, maybe I should come to school early to see you!" He said it so freely that Sawako was taken aback.

"Ah, I mean…if that's fine with you?" Shota rubbed the back of his head as he blushed.

"O-of course! I would never mind!" Sawako quickly replied back, and they both continued to walk towards class.

"Sawako, good morning." Ayane entered the classroom, to the sight of Sawako sitting at her desk, with Shota crouching beside it.

"Oh, rare to see you here so early, Kazehaya…Here to spend precious time with your girlfriend?" Ayane quickly gave an exaggerative face, while Shota stared back in anger while blushing.

"Oh, Chizu isn't here yet?" Ayane ignored Shota as she looked around.

"Ah, you're right…Did something happen to her?" Sawako looked around as well, while Shota noticed.

"Yoshida? Maybe she's with Ryu." Shota said.

"Ah, Ryu!" Right after he said that, Shota called out to Ryu who had just entered the classroom as well.

"Ryu, Chizu isn't with you?" Ayane asked, while Ryu blinked in response.

"No, didn't see her."

"A-ah…Chizu-chan…did she get sick or something!" Sawako began to panic, while Shota tried to calm her down.

*BAM*

The door slid open so quickly that it made a gigantic crash sound, and standing there was Chizuru with panted breathing.

"I…I'm…not late…right?" She said in between breaths.

"Ah, Chizu-chan!" Sawako quickly calmed down at the sight of her friend, while Ayane laughed.

"Ha ha, don't worry. What's with you though? You're later than usual."

"Ah…" Chizuru began to walk to Sawako's desk, and quickly noticed Ryu. She shifted her gaze quickly away from him, and looked directly at Sawako and Ayane. "I couldn't sleep lately, so I would play video games. Before I knew it, school was about to start, and I didn't even sleep."

The others quickly noticed the eye bags under her eyes.

"Oi, isn't it usually the other way around? Usually you don't get enough sleep because you were playing video games. People don't play video games when they can't sleep…" Ayane quickly noticed.

"Oh, isn't it fine? It was only today anyways!" Before Sawako could comment, Pin quickly came in, telling everyone to sit down.

"Umm…sorry…" Sawako shifted nervously as Chizuru and Ayane approached her. "The thing is…Shota asked me to eat lunch with him today…" Sawako remembered the text and how she quickly replied yes to him, forgetting about Ayane and Chizuru.

"Oh! You guys are making progress!"

"That's great!" Chizuru said cheerfully, although Ayane and Chizuru moved aside for a moment.

"But then…he knew about us…huh?" Ayane whispered.

"He definitely wanted to try to steal her back by texting her…He's a smart one…"

"Cunning, Kazehaya…"

Sawako looked on in confusion, while Shota walked towards Sawako. As soon as he arrived…

"Kazehaya!"

"How dare you!"

"Eh! What!" Shota looked back in confusion, as Ayane and Chizuru glared at him.

"Stealing Sawa away from us, with her feelings towards you!"

"You're too cunning, Kazehaya!" The both of them glared at Shota while he felt a sweat drop down from his head.

"Can you stop trying to make me look like the bad person here? I only sent a text…"

After getting scolded by Chizuru and Ayane for a while, he was finally let go, and could go eat lunch with Sawako in the hallway. Chizuru and Ayane fell down onto chairs at Ayane's desk.

"Ah, that's right!" Ayane quickly remembered something as Chizuru began to eat her lunch. "What happened with you and Ryu after New Year's?"

Ayane quickly heard a choking sound from Chizuru, who quickly tried to get rid of the food in her throat by drowning it with water.

"N-nothing in p-particular!" Chizuru quickly tried to deny anything.

"Hmm…But you were choking on something just now…So doesn't that mean something happened?" As usual, Ayane was right on the target, but Chizuru continued to try and deny it.

"No! Of course not! I just ate too quickly! That's all!" Chizuru quickly finished the rest of her lunch, and pretended to be choking. "I-I'm gonna go take a walk around the school! I'll be back later!"

With that, Chizuru quickly left the room, leaving Ayane alone. Dust was left behind as Chizuru continued to run, which Ayane saw in front of the door.

"S-she really can run fast, huh?" Ayane felt her eyebrow twitching in shock at the fact she had just been abandoned.

"Ha ha, Chizuru really can run fast." Kento walked up to Ayane's seat with a big smile, in contrast to Ayane's stunned face.

"Really…that girl…Ah, Ryu!" Ayane saw Ryu enter the classroom, coming back from the cafeteria.

"Yeah?" Ryu walked up to the two.

"Did something happen with Chizuru lately?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, if you don't know, it's okay. It's just…she's been acting weird lately."

Ryu stayed silent for a while, but quickly interrupted his thoughts.

"No, if something happens, I'll talk to her."

Before Ayane could say anything else, Ryu quickly went back to his desk, going to sleep.

Chizuru sat on the staircase where she and Ayane had asked Sawako about her relationship with Shota when it became awkward back in Spring. It was an isolated staircase, as everyone ate their lunch in the classrooms, hallways, or cafeteria. Her arms were propped onto her bent knees, and Chizuru huddled her body into a ball, as she leaned her head against the wall to her right.

_'Did something happen?'_

The words Ayane said seemed to stick itself to her mind, along with another few words.

_"I love you."_

Ryu's words had a strange aura towards them. He said it with his usual silent voice, but it made it as though he was whispering and trying to lure Chizuru to listen to his words more.

Usually when Ryu said it, she wouldn't really care and just move on. Yet somehow…she couldn't get it out of her head. She quickly remembered how she had rejected Ryu on the trip to Okinawa, but began to question herself. He said it again, but this time, she reacted like this.

_'What…what is this feeling? Is it love?'_ Chizuru thought to herself as she put her hand to her head, and she quickly remembered Toru, Ryu's big brother. They had met again during New Year's, but the feelings she had for them back then were gone.

'_The feelings…back then…'_ She tried to remember those feelings from the past, although it was quite a struggle, since she would quickly remember the pain that came right after.

'_But even so… The feelings I have now feel so different from the feelings of love I had for Toru…why?'_

"Um…Shota…"

"Hmm?"

They had laid down a blanket at a part of the hallway where people didn't usually walk through, and were eating by themselves.

"Are…are you really sure you want this fried egg roll?"

"Yeah! I want to try it…Is that okay?" Shota looked at Sawako who seemed nervous.

"No! Of course not! Here!" Sawako quickly stuck it out towards Shota's mouth, and they both looked at each other in surprise.

"Ah, sorry! I- I didn't m-mean l-like that!" Sawako quickly denied it, but became even more shocked.

_'Wait! Does that mean…he'll think I don't want to feed food for him! Of course not! But uh, what if he doesn't want to! Uwah…I'm so confused!'_

Shota quickly noticed Sawako panicking, and wanted to say something, but she interrupted herself.

"It-It's not l-like I m-mind f-feeding you!" Sawako closed her eyes as she said the words. They sounded robotic from the nervous feeling she had inside her. Shota stared in surprise from the suddenness, but smiled gently.

He placed his hand onto Sawako's, who opened her eyes wide. He moved closer and stared seriously into her eyes.

"Please feed me."

"Y-yes…" Shota's stare at Sawako seemed to leave her in a trance. Yet somehow, in his eyes, there was still that gentle feeling he always gave off towards her.

She moved her hand towards Shota again, with Shota guiding her hand this time. His touch on her hand was soft, but she could feel the warmth of his fingertips enter into her right hand. They both stayed silent, and there were no other sounds being made. She was just feeding him…yet somehow…it felt magical in its own way. Was it because they both had the courage to do something so intimate?

Shota opened his mouth, and the fried egg roll placed itself perfectly inside it, and Shota began to chew on it as he let go of Sawako's hand. He swallowed, and smiled towards Sawako.

"It's delicious!"

"I'm glad…" Sawako smiled as well.

"To be exact, I was worried before." Shota leaned back, with his arms stopping him from falling back. Sawako sat with her legs under her, and looked back curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, before in class, you always seemed to have a worried look. And even before as well…" As Shota said the words, he quickly noticed Sawako looking down.

"Eh! Sawako!" He quickly pushed himself up, and put his arm in front of her, bending down to look at her.

"Sorry! Did I do something wrong! Sorry!" Shota quickly began to apologize, although Sawako quickly looked back up.

"Ah, no! It's not your fault at all! Please don't blame yourself!" Shota saw Sawako's reaction, and sighed, and moved back.

"The heck? Don't scare me like that, geez." Shota looked away, giving an annoyed tone to his voice.

"Eh! Ah! Sorry!"

"He he. It's fine. I'm only joking with you!" Shota laughed at Sawako's reaction, although he still noticed Sawako wasn't feeling that well.

"The thing is…I'm worried about Chizu-chan."

"Yoshida, huh?" Shota looked onto Sawako as she explained.

"Back then…when she was troubled by Toru-san, I couldn't really tell what she was thinking. For some reason…now, I feel the same as back then."

"But you haven't seen any visible problem?"

"Yes… I can't tell what exactly happened to Chizu-chan. But even so, I don't think she's that happy right now. She seems worried…" Sawako clenched her hands together as she looked down.

"Hey…do you remember the words I said to you back then?" Sawako quickly looked back up to Shota as he mentioned the memory.

"Right now, I'm not sure whether Yoshida is aware you're worrying about her or not. But I guess she needs some time alone. Just remember to always be there waiting to hear anything she wants to tell you."

"Well, right now, the situation is different from before, but don't force it out of Yoshida. I think she wants to solve this problem herself this time. And for that matter…" Shota bent down again, to look Sawako who was facing forward.

"It wouldn't be right if you worried a lot. If Yoshida noticed, she'd get even more worried, and we don't want everyone to worry right?" Shota gave a big smile, as Sawako stared in amazement.

_'Somehow…his words…always seem to cheer me on…'_

"Mmm…you're right. This is Chizuru's problem. I can't just jump in, unless she truly wants my help. I'll be patient." Sawako smiled, with determination in her eyes. Shota got up, and the both began to clean up, getting ready to go back to class. Shota quickly took a small glance at Sawako, and smiled to himself.

_'She's just like back then…always working hard herself…'_

"Have you…ever felt helpless before when you see someone suffering?"

Ayane and Kento had moved their conversation to one of the lower hallways, and Ayane leaned against an open window on the first floor. The air was chilly, but she didn't mind. It felt refreshing to her, to feel a blast of winter hit her so gently.

"What do you mean?" Kento had leaned his back against the closed part of the window as he stared at Ayane.

"Two years ago, both Sawako and I had to face that feeling. Chizuru…was facing some problems."

"I see…I never realized Chizuru was someone who faced many problems."

"Well…It's not many problems. More just like one big problem, that really did hurt her badly." Ayane quickly corrected Kento, wanting to prevent any misunderstandings. He already made enough misunderstandings with Sawako and Shota, and she didn't dare let him make misunderstandings about Chizuru.

"Back then, Chizuru hid her true feelings, and we couldn't tell what to do. Right now, I have this looming feeling that it's happening again. But she hasn't said anything, but judging from her reactions, I feel she is."

"I guess…right now, you're not just feeling helpless. I think you're also being a bit selfish."

"Huh! Selfish! What the heck do you think you're saying!" Ayane quickly turned her head towards Kento in anger, who looked up at the ceiling calmly.

"Listen to what I have to say first." The serious tone in Kento's voice left Ayane speechless, who backed down.

"Right now, 'Chizuru is facing problems' is what you're thinking. You shouldn't make assumptions like that and yell at yourself. Chizuru is keeping it from you, and she has the rights to do that. So you should just leave her alone. Just be there for her when she needs it. Besides, Chizuru's your friend, right? Put a little trust in her. Trust that she can solve the problem. And that when she can't, she'll rely on you guys." Kento smiled to the awestruck Ayane.

"How…"

"It's because I'm a philanthropist!" Kento quickly gave a flashy grin, and Ayane looked away. _'He just ruined the mood.'_

Ayane sighed to herself, and leaned back out against the window. _'Maybe now's the time to ask him, since I have his attention.'_

"Kent…"

"Hmm?" Kento quickly put away his flashy grin, and looked towards Ayane.

"Did you regret hugging me back then at the school field trip?"

"Absolutely not!" Kento quickly turned his body forward, looking at Ayane, who stared surprised. "I'm happy that I was there to be of some comfort for you."

Ayane's surprised face quickly dissolved into a laugh.

"A ha ha! The heck is that? You sound like a selfish person yourself!" Ayane referred back to his lecture before, and wiped away the tears of laughter she had. Kento looked in surprise, and laughed as well, with the two walking back to class while laughing.

_'I'd rather see her shed tears from laughter instead of tears from confusion like back then…'_ Kento thought to himself as he looked towards Ayane who continued to laugh.

Everyone had arrived back into class right before the bell rang, and class continued on for the whole afternoon. Although Sawako did concentrate in class, Shota's word continued to echo in the back of her mind. Ayane could remember Kento's lecture as she wrote notes down, and Chizuru rested her head against her table, thinking about Ryu's words.

Chizuru was at her shoe locker, placing her shoes away as she put her short boots on.

"Chizu."

She turned to see Ayane and Sawako smiling towards her. She smiled back, but all of them could tell it was forced.

"Yo!"

"Umm…would you like to walk home together?" Sawako asked nervously, while Chizuru blinked in surprise.

"Aren't you walking home with Kazehaya?"

"Ah, no, not today…" Sawako hid the fact that she told Shota not to wait for her, in case anything happened.

_'Feelings…maybe I should ask them…'_ Chizuru looked back up to her two friends who gave her smiles.

"Hey…I have a question…" Ayane and Sawako looked at her, perking with attention.

"To be exact, I can't tell whether I have feelings for someone or not…"

_'So it really is troubles in love!'_ Ayane and Sawako thought in unison.

"These feelings I have for him…are different from the feelings I used to have for Toru. So what are these feelings I have for this person? Hate? Confusion? Friendly? I…I can't tell!" Chizuru clenched her fists in confusion, and feel tears wanting to fall out of her eyes, but she held back.

"Chizuru, it could be love itself." Ayane spoke up with her eyes closed, trying to pick the right words to say. "I'm not saying your feelings for Toru were family like. But if you think about it, there are many different types of love. Your feelings for this person could be a crush or something much greater than the feelings you had for Toru. But no matter what happens…" Ayane opened her eyes and smiled. "It's up to you to figure it out."

"C-Chizu-chan!" Sawako began to speak as well, and Chizuru turned to look at Sawako.

"It may be hard to think what your feelings are towards him, but it's okay to make mistakes. You still have time, right? And also… the best way to figure out these feelings…is to talk to the person genuinely yourself!" Sawako quickly remembered how she and Shota talked honestly many times, which led them to easily clearing misunderstandings. "Chizu-chan, you should never forget how your feelings affect not just you, but the other person as well! You should talk to them as well!"

"Affect…the other person…?" Chizuru slowly said the words, her mouth moving slowly.

His image flashed in her mind. She could see that although he was always silent, one could easily tell his feelings through his facial expression. And in that image…he was worried and confused.

"Chizu! Where are you going!" Ayane called out to the sprinting Chizuru, who took just one moment to look back to apologize.

"I need to talk to him! Sorry, I'm going first! I'll see you tomorrow!" Chizuru looked forward but stopped herself, and looked back one last time. "And thank you!"

The two of them looked onto the faint image of Chizuru running before it completely disappeared from their eyes.

"The heck…did we really help her?" Ayane sighed to herself, and noticed Sawako.

"It's okay…I'm going to use the advice Shota gave me…As long as I'm there for her when she needs it, that's good enough." Sawako looked back with determination.

"He he, we're both supposed to be cheering Chizu on, but we're both getting cheered on as well."

"Both?"

"Ah, it's nothing to worry about." Ayane hid it with a cool personality, although she continued to repeat that conversation she had with Kento in her head.

"Anyways, I need to go to the mall to buy some things, so I'm going first. Bye bye, Sawako." Ayane waved to Sawako, who still needed to change her shoes.

"Mm! Good bye!"

Sawako made small sounds as her footsteps hit the wet cement. The sun was already setting even though it was still pretty early. _'I guess it's because it's still winter…'_

_'Winter…'_ Sawako remembered how back in winter, Chizuru had suffered from her unrequited love. Back then, she couldn't do anything to help her friend. She could only watch her cry, and try to give her advice that was meaningless.

_'Even now…it's the same…' _The helplessness seemed to wrap itself Sawako as she continued to walk, and she felt as though she was suffocating from it all. Her tears began to sting, and her body seemed to feel numb. _'Although I did use his advice…it still hurts…'_

She looked up with teary eyes, which quickly widened in the sight in front of her.

Shota had sat at where he would usually wait for her. He quickly saw her, and stood up.

"You're here. I was right!"

"Shota…" Sawako could feel her body shaking, and by instinct, she quickly ran towards Shota and into his chest.

Shota quickly felt his left foot take a step back from the pressure, and he looked down to see Sawako burying her head in his chest, with her arms wrapped around him. It was so different from what she usually did, but she couldn't help it. She was so happy to see him, and she felt so sad at the very moment. It was like the warmth of his chest quickly melted away that suffocating feeling from before.

He gently put his arms around her, and squeezed her tightly.

"It's okay. You can stay here for now. Just try to calm down."

"Mmm…" Sawako muffled out in his chest, as she continued to cry. _'Sorry, Shota…Sorry. But the tears…they just won't stop… I can't even tell if I'm crying from not being able to help Chizu-chan…or crying because you still waited for me…'_

A.N.- Well…I think I owe an explanation for this INSANE delay! DX  
Basically, I did this all in one day. I completely went off the plan, and never even planned for this chapter. I had trouble writing the chapter that's 1/5 finished. I'll save it for another day. So basically, the old chapter 6 got scrapped for later, and I wrote this instead. I haven't written like this in a long time, so I'm so scared it's different from usual. So please try to not hate me for it D: But it was a lot of fun to write this chapter. I'm here at 2:30 in the morning, and I had written for about 5 hours straight (although there were procrastinations and breaks in between :P) I hope you enjoy this chapter! Chapter 7…I still need to finish this plot, so of course it'll come out quickly. I just stopped here because it's late and I felt it would be nice to leave it off here!

By the way, I wanted to write about Chizu and Ryu XD They're such a cute couple, although the latest chapter in the manga made me sad ;A; So here's to hoping for a good end for them!


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